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(No Model.) 2 Shets-Sheet 1.

H. E. HARBAUGH 8v G. W. MIDGLEY MACHINE FOR SEWING KNIT FABRICS.

No. 415,778. Patented Nov. 26, 1889';

Maw 2, 'y m/zw (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. E. HARBAUGH &- G. W. MIDGLEY. MACHINE FOR SEWING KNIT FABRICS.

No. 415.778. Patented Nov. 26, 1889..

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOWARD E. HARBAUGH AND GEORGE WV. MIDGLEY, OF ROCKFORD, ILLI- NOIS, ASSIGNORS TO THE S. B. VILKINS COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

MACHINE- FOR SEWING KNIT FABRICS.-

SZPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 415,778, dated November 26, 1889.

Application filed April 8, 1889.

Serial No. 306,381. (No model.)

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that we, HOWARD E. HAR- BAUGH and GEORGE W. MIDGLEY, residing at Rockford, in the county of Winnebago and State of Illinois, and citizens of the United States, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Machines for Sewing Knit Fabrics, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying 1o drawings, in which- 5 Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 1 isa detail view showing a cam and a part of the cutter-carrying bar. Fig. 2 is a plan. Fig. 3 is a section at line f Fig. 2, showing also I 5 one of the removable sections in place, which is not shown at that point in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of one of the removable sections, showing only a few of the points. Fig. 5 is a detail, being a plan of the remova- 2o ble curved piece which holds the seamerpoints in place. Fig. 6 represents one of the points. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail to illustrate that the needle makes a stroke for each point and between the points.

2 5 It is common to close up seams in knit goods-as, for example, the toe of a stocking 7 by putting stitches on both sides of the seam to be closed onto pins or points arranged in a sewing-machine adapted to do the work.

0 The part which receives the work has heretofore been a fixed part of the machine, and as the stitches are applied to the points by hand, which is a slow process, the stitching has been correspondingly slow, because the ma- 3 5 chine cannot be made to stitch at a greater speed than a single operator can place the stitches upon the points.

The leading object of our invention is to provide novel means by the use of which the 40 work of closing up the seams of knit goods can be done much more rapidly than heretofore, which we accomplish as illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter described. That which we claim as new will be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, A represents a rotating cylinder similar in many respects to the rotating cylinder in common use in knittingmachines. This cylinder is supported as usual, in an outer cylinder B. The upper end of the cylinder A is provided with an annular vertical groove a. In this groove a suitable number of blocks 1') are permanently cured, there being one for each of the removable segmental point-carrying sections hereinafter mentioned. Two of these blocks are shown in Fig. 2. The other one is concealed.

c is a groove in the outside of the cylindeI' A. 6o

dare cam-like projections secured in the groove 0 by means of screws, which cams correspond in number with the removable sections.

C is a ratchet-wheel on the lower end. of the cylinder A.

e is a pawl, which engages with the ratchetwheel 0, and is operated in any known manner. The ratchet-wheel C is arranged to be moved at each movement of the pawl e a distance equal to one-half the distance required for a stitch to be taken in the work itself.

D are removable sections provided with seamer-points f, to receive the stitches along the seam which is to be closed. Each of .7 these sections is provided with a downward segmental flange or extension 9, adapted to enter the groove a in the top of the cylinder A, and each segmentaltiange or extension g A is. provided with a notch h, adapted to fit 8o over one of the blocks b, whereby the position of the section in the groove to can be de: termined.

z' j are two circular flanges on each section. The outer edge of the upper flange is provided .8 5 with notches 7c. a

E is a curved plate provided on its upper] surface with a series of shallow grooves Z. I This curved piece E fits into the space be''] tween the two flanges i j. The seamer-poin'ts go fare bent and the horizontal portion of each is curved, as shown in Fig. 6, and when this l curved portion is forced into one of the I grooves Zthe spring of the metal will hold the point in place. We use one of the points.

f, not for each notch 70 in the outer edge of the flange 0:, but for every other notch.

The sections D are of such length that" when two or more are in position in the cylinder A there will be a little space on be- [06 tween the adjoining ends of two sections.

F is a spring arranged to act upon the inside of the cylinder A and hold it in place after every movement thereof by the action of the pawl e.

n is the needle of the machine, supported upon an arm G, as usual.

H is a short bar, which is provided with a slot 0 near its lower end, through which slot a stationary pin or screw passes into some fixed part of the machine, this bar H being pivoted on such screw and also having a nearly vertical movement thereon. v

, p is a coiled spring, one end of which is connected with the bar H and the other end is secured to a standard.

qis an adjustable pin which passes through the lower end of the bar H and is held in place by a set-screw. This pin is arranged to be engaged by the cams d.

I is a blade for severing the thread. secured to the bar H.

'r is a pin or arm projecting outward from the arm G, which pin. is arranged to engage with a notch s in the upper end of thebar H.

t is a looper, which is no part of our invention.

J represents apiece of work in the machine, stitches along the seam to be closed having been placed upon the points f.

The other parts of the machine need not be here described, because they are such as are in use in other machines relating to the art. The needle is operated by a cam on the main shaft, which may be driven in any suitable manner.

The cylinder A is adapted to receive only three of the removable sections D, but in use a greater number of such sections should be provided.

The operation is as follows: Any desired number of removable sections D are to be provided for each machine, and any required number of operators are to place each upon one of the sections a piece of work the seam of which is to be closed. The same, as fast as prepared, is to be placed within easy reach of the operator of the machine, who places the sections one after another in the groove a as often as may be necessary, and the machine being in motion the seam will be rapidly closed by the movement of the needle, which makes a stroke for each point or stitch in the goods, and also a stroke between the points outside of the material being operated upon, without changing the position of the needle. It is common to use a chain-stitch for doing this class of work, and heretofore devices haye been used for changing the position of the needle back and forth, so that one stitch is made in one vertical plane and the next stitch in another vertical plane, for the purpose of making a lock or double stitch. This we accomplish, as just described, without changing the position of the needle, the lock being formed by the passage of the needle down between the points f. I

We have shown in Fig. 2 two of the remov- It is able sections D in the machine, one being broken away. The cams (Z are to be arranged so that one of them will come in contact with the projecting pin (1 at the lower end of the bar H at the moment when the space an between two adjoining ends of two sections D is exactly opposite to the knife I, and the engagement of the cam with the pin q will throw the lower end of the bar H outward, bringing the edge of the knife I forward against the thread in proper position for cutting it at the point an between two sections, and, by the descent of the needle the pin 7', coming into engagement with the notch s in the upper end of the bar H,will move the latter lengthwise to thereby force the knife I downward and sever the threads. WVhen the cam passes away from the pin q, the action of the spring 1) will return the bar H and the knife I to the position shown in Fig. 1 ready for the next cutting operation.

It is not necessary that the work should be large enough to occupy all of the points f, and it is not necessary to stop the machine after the work upon one section has been completed. The movement of the needle may continue and the thread will be severed at the proper time, as before described.

In Fig. 7 we have shown three stitches u, supposed to be on three points f, and the stitches belonging to the work the seam of which is to be closed; also, the needle in one of the notches between two adjoining stitches. One machine provided with these removable sections can close seams as rapidly as five or six persons can prepare the work for the machine. As soon as the work on one of the removable sections has been completed and the thread severed such section is to be removed from the machine, and the work is to be removed from the section, and then it will be ready to receive another piece of work preparatory to being again placed in the ma- Chine.

By making the sections of proper length more than three might be used with a cylinder of the size of that shown in the drawings, if desired. Cylinders of different sizes, of course, may be used, the sections being adapted thereto.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. In amachine for closing the seams of knit goods, the combination of a movable cylinder provided with a groove Ct in its upper edge, containing a series of separated blocks 17, and a series of sections D, removable and replaceable while the cylinder moves, and each provided with seamer-points f, and a flange g, having a notch h, substantially as described.

2. In amachine for closing the seams of knit goods, the combination of a rotating cylinder having an annular groove in its edge containing a series of separated blocks, and a series of segmental sections removable and replaceable while the cylinder rotates, and each provided with seamer-points and a segmental flange having a notch, substantially as described.

3. In a machine for closing the seams of knit goods, the combination of a rotating cylinder provided with a groove a, containing a series of separated blocks 1), and a series of remov able and replaceable sections D, each having a notched flange g, a series of seamer-points 10 f, and a notch it between each pair of seamen points, substantially as described.

4. In amachine for closing the seams of knit goods, the combination, with a needle-carrying arm, of one or more removable sections D, provided with seamer-points f, and a lateral flange having a vertical notch k in its outer edge between each pair of points for the passage of the needle to form a lock and double stitch, substantially as described.

7 5. In amachine for closing the seams of knit goods, the combination of a cam d and a slotted, lengthwise-movable, and swinging bar I-I, having a pin q, cutter I, and a notch s, with the vibrating needle-carrying arm G, having a pin or arm 0", which engages the notch and moves the bar lengthwise when the needle-carrying arm descends for causing the cutter to sever the threads, substantially as described.

6. In a machine for closing the seams of knit goods, the combination of a rotating cylinder having a cam d, a series of removable and replaceable sections D, having seamer-points and arranged on the cylinder with their adjacent ends separated to provide intervening spaces m, a movable bar H, having a pin q, cutter I, and notch s, and a needle-carrying arm G, having a pin or arm a", for operating the cutter-carrying bar to sever the threads in the spaces between the point-carrying sections, substantially as described.

7. In a machine for closing the seams of knit goods, a seamer-point carrier having two separated flanges 71 and j, seamer-points f, having curved and elastic portions arranged between the flanges, and the grooved plate E, located between one of the flanges and the elastic portions of the scanner-points, substantially as described.

HOWVARD E. HARBAUGI-I. GEORGE IV. MIDGLEY. \Vitnesses:

O. B. SHAW, JOHN C. HAMILTON. 

